Roadtrip Gone Terribly Wrong
by XxLadyStrengthxX
Summary: When the girls' plan to be an alibi for Aria and Ezra fails, they're forced on a twenty-hour long car ride with the couple. What sort of madness will come from four teen girls and their ex-teacher in the span of six days? Enough to make Mr. Fitz go crazy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Heyyy y'all! :D I wanted to start a new story but didn't know what it should be about, so I asked pretty,little,soprano for a challenge word and she gave me 'road trip'. (I gave her 'calendar', and gave sburke94 'bumper sticker'. I can't wait to see what they do with 'em! XD) It's taken me a while to figure out what to do, but then all these ideas hit me like a ton of bricks. You should see my ideas notebook...it's insane right now! :P **

**Okay, here's a few things we need to go over: this is a few weeks after the epic Ezria kiss (eeep!), so Emily's mom has moved to Texas, and Ezria are attempting to go public; however, they're keeping it on the extreme DL so it's not a giant shock to anyone. Ummm, Ezra knows that the girls know because Aria "told them when he left for Hollis" ;) I think that's it...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...unfortunately.**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you can't go?" Aria exclaimed incredulously as she sat with her best friends in the Applerose Grille and Bar. It was a sunny Saturday in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, and the four high school junior girls were seated at their unofficial table in the local restaurant. They were discussing their plans for the following week ahead, as there was no school due to teacher-in-service and more parentteacher conferences.

"It's pretty self-explanatory, Aria," Hanna pointed out sarcastically with a tilt of her head. She then rolled her eyes when she received a heated glare from the shortest of her friends.

"Hanna's right," Spencer added, which Hanna smiled victoriously at. "We can't go."

Aria's mouth continued to hang open in desperation. "B-but...what are we suppose to do then? You guys are mine and Ezra's alibi for the week!"

"I'm sorry, but none of us have a car to get out of town," Emily said sympathetically. "And if we can't leave, neither can you..."

Aria crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on her hands. "How is it that none of you can get a ride?"

"Well, I don't own a car to begin with," Hanna stated obviously.

Emily frowned. "My mom took mine to Texas until I go off to college. She said that she doesn't want to have to pay for it until I absolutely need it..."

"That's stupid," Aria muttered.

"And we were suppose to take my car since it's the biggest, but of all the times it has to break down, it picks the week we need it the most," Spencer informed while picking at and scooting the food on her plate in front of her.

"What's wrong with it?" Aria questioned.

Spencer sighed. "It's the transmission. The car won't change gears on its own, so we can't get it to go over twenty miles per hour. By the time we got to New York, you and Ezra would be back in Rosewood from wherever you're going."

Hanna's face suddenly lit up in excitement. "What about your car, Aria?"

Aria let out a deep breath. "Not going to happen. Since my parents think I will be gone with you three, they're letting Mike use it for his driving hours since he just got his permit. I love him, but that little shit better not hurt my car, or he'll be paying for the damages..."

Aria's comment caused the others to laugh light-heartedly, but they quickly fell back into an awkward silence. Hanna randomly began speaking again, "And we can't use any of our parent's cars... They all work full time, and Emily's are half way across the country."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Hanna," Aria spat out in annoyance.

"Excuse me for trying to help," Hanna remarked icily.

Aria narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Well, your help is getting us nowhere!"

"Aria, calm down!" Spencer intervened.

"No, I won't until someone comes up with a rational plan!" Aria responded with exasperation. "C'mon Spence, you're a genius; how 'bout it?"

Spencer smiled slightly. "Well, I do have _one_ idea..."

* * *

><p>"No," Ezra stated firmly as he continued pacing around his small studio apartment. "There's no way."<p>

"Ezra, it's the _only_ way. They're our alibi, and if they aren't out of the state, then neither are we..." Aria responded from where she sat upon his bed.

He walked over to his suitcase and unzipped it before pulling out numerous shirts into his hands.

Aria quirked her eyebrows. "And just what do you think you are doing?"

"Unpacking," Ezra simply answered.

"Ezra Fitz, you're being stubborn!" Aria yelled as she hopped off the bed. As he put away the previous clothes, she followed him to take them back out of the drawer and replace them into the suitcase once more. As Ezra's hand reached for different clothes to hang up, Aria placed her hand over his tightly. "We're going, and we will still have a wonderful time."

"Aria, I just started at Hollis and I'm already taking a week off just to be with you. I'm not trying to sound like I _have_ to be with you, I want to; it's just...if I'm going to ask for some vacation time, I'd like to actually _enjoy_ that said vacation. And that said vacation does _not_ have Hanna, Spencer, and Emily in it," Ezra explained himself, intensely hoping that he wouldn't offend his girlfriend.

"I know, babe, but that said vacation can only happen if the girls are in it," Aria responded gently as she squeezed his hand.

Ezra let out a heavy breath. "It's twenty hours to Minnesota, love. Twenty hours is a long time to drive with those girls, especially when it's all four of you put together. That's two days driving there, and two more days driving back. The only time I'll have you all to myself is the two days we'll not be in the car..."

"I'm sure we'll have more alone time; think about it, Ezra. There's stopping to sleep at night, even though we probably won't even go to bed..." Aria replied seductively as she hooked her arms around his neck.

Ezra's arms immediately found their way to the small of her back, crushing their bodies as close as possible. "I like the sound of that...as long as the girls aren't in the room."

Aria giggled. "Oh God, no. Hopefully down the hall at least!" She stood up on her toes and pulled her weight into her arms in order to kiss him. His arms around her waist helped her off the ground a bit so the kiss was more comfortable for both. It was short and sweet, yet passion filled nonetheless. After pulling back, Ezra began peppering tender kisses along a pathway from Aria's jaw line to her neck. "Ezra," she whispered when he began biting at the exposed, sensitive flesh.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled in return, not taking his lips of her neck.

"We _need _this trip," she answered breathlessly before adding, "...badly."

Ezra released his lips from the base of her neck to eye his work. Satisfied with what was going to be a fairly noticeable lovebite, he placed his lips softly against hers once more. As Aria began to heat the kiss up a little by forcing her tongue through his lips, Ezra parted, which caused her to frown in rejection. "Don't start what you can't finish, Miss Montgomery. Remember, we have all week..."

A large grin surfaced on Aria's face when Ezra winked at her, and she thought, _Oh, yes. This could be a very enjoyable trip, indeed._

* * *

><p>The following morning, all four girls found themselves sitting in the Hastings' living room. With both Spencer's parents and Melissa out, it seemed to be the best location for Ezra to pick them up. They were drinking coffee happily; excited for the upcoming days they would spend with each other. Hanna was clearly upset with the fact that New York was no longer in the picture, but Minnesota had to be better than Rosewood to some extent. If you looked in the dictionary for the word 'boring', its definition would be:<p>

(n.) Rosewood, Pennsylvania

Aria's cell phone beeped its familiar ringtone, causing her to flinch in fear at the thought of 'A'. However, it was Ezra informing her that he was waiting outside in the driveway. The girls grabbed their bags and exited out the front door to see Ezra opening the trunk. When they reached the car, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna all let out a high-pitched, "Hi, Mr. Fitz."

"Ladies," he responded with a chuckle, then turned to Aria. "Good morning, beautiful."

Aria blushed at the sight of her friends' smiles in her peripheral vision. She quietly replied with, "Good morning," before pecking him quickly on the lips.

Ezra smiled and gave his attention to the girls' bags; he laughed loudly in sight of Hanna's. "Wow, Hanna, I'm impressed. You managed to pack everything in only one suitcase?"

"It was the deal; Aria said I had to in order to tag along," Hanna answered as she playfully elbowed Aria in the ribs.

After ten minutes of stuffing large bags and having Aria laugh at his tiring effort, Ezra loudly slammed the trunk door shut. He let out a breath of air in relief, then said, "Alright, let's get going!"

Soon, the silver car filled with four teenage girls and their ex-teacher left the city limits of Rosewood. They were freely conversing about their new English teacher, who Ezra had guessed by listening to their stories, was dreadfully awful. The girls' shrill laughter surrounded the car after Hanna made some snarky comment about the older woman's fashion sense, which Ezra couldn't help but smile at. He glanced briefly at Aria in the passenger seat and noted the huge smile plastered across her features. _I guess bringing the girls isn't so bad. Hopefully things will continue to go smoothly. _

If only he could see that the next six days would make up the longest week of his life...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, there you go! Romance and humor will be the story! I can't wait to hear what you guys think is going to happen! Come up with some insane scenarios that they could get into and I'll pick my favorites and incorporate them along the way! **

**Please review!**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! This story has insane potential, so I hope you all continue to read it, then review! :D This is where the humor begins! XP**

**Also, was FFnet being a total bitch to anyone last night? I totally tried uploading this chapter, like, thirty times and it refused. Just wondering if it was only me...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything... -_-**

* * *

><p>When the five eventually left Rosewood, the girls were still talking up a storm. Topics were switched constantly and absentmindedly, as each girl would throw in an opinion without realizing that it would lead to a whole new conversation. Ezra listened quietly, feeling that it was out of place for him to join in on the somewhat girly chat. Honestly, the eternal talk of the latest shoes, different clothing sales, which salon Hanna got her hair done, and the store that Aria had recently bought her <em>Steve Madden<em> boots was not on his list of what he believed to be interesting.

Soon, however, the digital clock on the radio read 8:30 AM, and fatigue fell upon the four teen girls. Their conversing eventually dissolved into silence, which then led to Spencer, Hanna, and Emily falling asleep.

Hanna used her jacket as a pillow to lean against the door frame, while Spencer rested her head on Hanna's shoulder. Emily was content with her head straight up against the headrest and eyes peacefully shut.

Seated on the passenger side of the car, Aria relieved herself in a copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her legs were tucked up to her chest in order to serve as some sort of table for her book, and her left elbow was placed on the console of the car with her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Aria let out a heavy sigh as she felt her eyes begin to grow heavier.

"Bored, much?" Ezra's voice filled the car, even though it was barely audible from the backseat.

Aria's head shot up immediately to make eye contact with him. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I love this book...but sometimes I just get tired of it." She then placed her bookmark within the binding of the page she had been reading before slowly bringing the novel to a close.

"Why don't you try sleeping a little? Your friends have absolutely no problem with the idea," he suggested kindly as his eyes darted toward the rearview mirror to peek at the girls.

She sighed. "I would, but I feel bad that you have to stay awake while we'd get sleep," Aria shrugged. "It seems somewhat unfair to me."

With his eyes still fixed on the road ahead, Ezra smiled and grasped her left hand in his right to interlock their fingers. He gave a gentle squeeze as he replied, "Don't feel that way; I'm fine. We still have a _long_ way to go, and sleeping normally makes the trip fly by."

Aria lifted their hands to her lips to softly kiss the back of his hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too; now, sleep!" Ezra teasingly ordered, but never made any move to release his grip.

Before there was any time for Aria to respond or attempt sleep, Hanna suddenly bolted from her position against the window, which also woke Spencer in the process. Hanna rubbed her eyes sleepily and said, "How long were we out?"

Aria lifted her and Ezra's hands to read the time from his wrist watch. "Um, it's almost 9:30, so about an hour."

"God, this trip is taking _way_ too long," she complained in return. "How much longer exactly, Mr. Fitz?"

Ezra chuckled in response. "We'll drive for three more hours before getting lunch, then stop for the night around five in the evening."

Hanna groaned loudly, which caused Emily to stir and moan in disapproval. Her eyes slowly opened to a squint as she adjusted toward the sunlight shining through the window. Emily remained silent as Hanna began to rant, "Geez, that's _so_ long! What are we suppose to do with all this freakin' time we have? We probably won't go back to sleep now since we just woke up! I honestly find it nearly impossible to sleep more than an hour in a car. It just gets way too uncomfortable."

"We could play a game," Emily offered in a raspy voice. "My parents used to be obsessed with driving for every vacation, and games always kept us occupied."

"Okay," Aria nodded in approval as she readjusted herself so she was facing Ezra, that way her head could turn and see the girls as well. "I have one: Camping Trip."

"Ohmigod! I love that game!" Hanna squealed unexpectedly. "I'll start! I'm bringing...hamburgers and a mailbox!"

"Nice," Aria complimented. "Your turn, Spence!"

"What kind of game is this?" Spencer asked out of annoyance. "Her belongings don't make any sense whatsoever!"

"Just pick some crap you want to bring, Spencer," Hanna ordered impatiently.

Spencer leaned back in shock. "Okay, geez...um, I guess I'll bring water and food?"

Hanna laughed. "Nope! That's not allowed!"

Spencer scoffed and looked to Aria incredulously. "What do you mean it's not allowed?"

Aria just shrugged before gazing at Emily. The swimmer of the group grinned shyly and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm bringing elephants and feathers."

Hanna quirked an eyebrow. "You've played this before, Em?" Her only response was a nod, which she accepted. "Aria, what's up?"

Aria shifted her eyes upward in thought. "I'm packing me some apples and monkeys!"

Spencer gasped suddenly, which caused everyone in the car to jump. "I get it now! Oh, this is cool! Go, Mr. Fitz!"

Ezra glanced at Aria briefly. "I'm playing?"

"Yup!" came from all four girls in unison.

"Alright, I guess I'd bring a sleeping bag and a flashlight," he answered innocently.

Spencer giggled. "Nope! Well, you can bring the flashlight, just not the sleeping bag."

Ezra's eyes widened. "What? If I can't bring a sleeping bag, what am I suppose to sleep in, then? This is a camping trip, right?"

The girls all fell into giggle fits at Ezra's words. Aria was the first to contain herself, so she said, "Think about it, Ez. It doesn't have to be about camping..."

"Well, I just don't see how Hanna can bring a mailbox, but I can't pack a sleeping bag! Why the hell would anyone need a mailbox in the middle of the woods?" Ezra exclaimed in frustration. During his rambling, he didn't notice himself gripping Aria's hand harder every second. When he finished speaking, Aria whimpered and unlaced her fingers from his quickly. She opened and closed her hand several times as if to trying to get blood flowing through once again.

Aria held her palm and replied, "It's not the fact that she _needs_ the mailbox, sweetie; it's just what she's _allowed_ to bring. Make sense?"

"Nooo," Ezra stated slowly. "But you said I can bring the flashlight! That has to do with camping, so why isn't the sleeping bag allowed? How about a tent, can I bring that?"

"No, Ezra, you can't bring a tent! None of us can!" Aria yelled back in anger.

Ezra momentarily let go of the steering wheel to throw his hands up and slam them back down. "Then what in the world are we suppose to sleep in? This would be the _worst_ camping trip ever!"

Tired of the couple's arguing, Hanna icily interrupted, "It's your initials, Mr. Fitz. I'm bringing _hamburgers_ for _Hanna_ and a _mailbox _for _Marin_! You can bring the flashlight for Fitz, but not the sleeping bag! Spencer could bring that because of the 'S' in her name!"

Ezra fell quiet as the realization sunk in. "Oh," was all he muttered in embarrassment.

After a moment of awkward silence, Spencer finally spoke up, "How about another game, Em. Maybe one that's not so confusing..."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't blame me for that; it was Aria's idea, but whatever. Let's play group storytelling, where we each add on a short part of a story after someone starts it. Mr. Fitz, you want to begin since Hanna went first last time?"

Still blushing from Hanna's recent remark, Ezra hesitantly nodded and cleared his throat. "Um, once upon a time, there was an enchanted forest and –"

"Really, a fairytale? C'mon, Mr. Fitz, be a little more creative than that!" Hanna barked teasingly, which unfortunately received a heated glare from Aria.

"Fine, _Miss Marin_," Ezra stated with emphasis. "Once upon a time, there was this girl named Hanna and she was the most popular person at her high school..." His words caused Hanna to beam in pride. "But one day, a horrible rumor was being spread about her, which caused her to have to run away in the middle of the night..." He then turned to Aria and winked, signaling at her to continue.

Aria laughed. "Hanna felt that it was her only way to escape this embarrassing news that everyone would soon know about. So, she packed up as many belongings she could fit into one bag, which was only like two dresses and ten million pairs of shoes, and set off into the dark. Go, Em!"

Emily smiled mischievously. "She hated that running away was pretty much her only choice, but never showing her face again was better than dealing with the endless amount of humility that would come with staying in the small town. Hanna quickly sped through the quiet neighborhood she lived in, only wishing for the best to come."

"But what she couldn't figure out what was why she was running away when it was only a rumor," Spencer added. "Rumors aren't the truth, and running away seemed to make her look guilty of something she didn't even do. What she needed to do was clear her name..."

Hanna clapped her hands slowly. "Good job, guys! You gave me the _best_ part to add on to... And clear her name is just what she was going to do! After all, it wasn't _her_ who was having the fling with a teacher; it was her best friend, Aria, but when their hunky English teacher followed Hanna out of his classroom with his hair all messed up and clothes half off, the janitor just assumed it was Hanna he'd been fooling around with. You see, Hanna had caught Aria and Mr. Fitz doing the dirty after school hours and –"

"HANNA!" Spencer shouted before clasping a hand right over the blonde's mouth. When Hanna licked her palm, Spencer quickly pulled away in disgust and wiped the saliva onto the leather seat beside her.

Aria's, as well as Ezra's, face had turned a deep crimson color during Hanna's addition of the story. Both had their attention fixated on the scenery around them and neither had the courage to make eye contact with anyone in the car.

"I think that's enough games for a while, don't you think?" Emily commented quietly and rationally. However, no one answered her question, so she just assumed that the story was over.

Spencer glared straight ahead towards the radio and cringed a little. Those two games had only taken up about thirty minutes of their time, and they resulted in extreme awkwardness. How in the world were they supposed to keep this up for the next seven hours? Better yet, the next few _days_...

As if there weren't enough tension in the air, four familiar ringtones blared simultaneously. Each girl froze in their exact spot for the slightest second, with the exception of Aria, who pulled out her phone with fear in her eyes. When all four phones buzzed at the same time, it could only mean one thing...

_New Text Message  
>From: Unknown<em>

_You're going on a trip without me, bitches? That seems a little selfish, but I'll let you enjoy it. Just know that I'll be waiting anxiously for your return, and so will the rest of the town, too. XOXO –A_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Muahaha! –A had to make an appearance sooner or later, so why not during the exact moment where the trip was beginning to falling apart? Well, that's all they'll hear from them until they get back, but there's still PLENTY more mishaps to come! Trust me; I have a list! ;D**

**Thanks to pretty,little,soprano for helping me with some ideas, and thanks to you all for reading, but don't forget to REVIEW! **

**The more reviews I receive, the faster I update! **

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: OhhhMyyyGoshhhh! Tonight's ep. was totes fierce, right? Haha, I'm still freaking out about the ending! Thanks for all the reviews! Keep 'em comin, bro.**

**WARNING: This chapter has references to happenings of tonight's episode. If you have not seen it, take caution. DO NOT BLAME ME SINCE I GAVE YOU A HEADS UP! :P**

**Disclaimer: Hmmm, yeah, still not mine.**

* * *

><p>Aria continued to stare at the message on her screen in shock. Strangely, the four had forgotten all about A and the problems that came with them since the trip had begun. She was surprised that A hadn't done something tricky already, but the mystery stalker had enough skill to get away with something without anyone ever knowing. Aria was frightened by the idea that A had frequently sabotaged her and her friends, especially since they were going out of the state with no possible way to fix whatever the freak had done or was going to do.<p>

Aria shook slightly in her seat. _Maybe nothing's happened yet; maybe they're just trying to scare us into coming home early._

The sound of Ezra's voice eventually pulled her out of thought. "Is everything okay?" he asked out of curiosity since the car had become awkwardly silent. Of course, Hanna's addition to the group story was what shut everyone up in the first place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the fact that since the phones rang, it had gotten a lot worse.

Ezra noticed Aria sneak a worried glance to her best friends; however, he was unable to see their reactions without turning his head over the seat, and that would be obvious of him wanting to know what exactly was going on.

Aria gave him a reassuring smile as she shook her head slightly, as if just now realizing that he asked a question. "Sorry, it was Mona. She still thinks we're going to New York, and sent a mass text telling us to have fun...and to each bring her back something in return," she lied smoothly.

The girls laughed at her statement since they never actually checked their phones, so they were satisfied with the story Aria had come up with on the spot. Aria continued as she picked up her phone, "I'll just tell her thanks and that we'll try to have _A_ great time." The emphasis she placed on the vowel fortunately went unknown by Ezra, but the girls easily picked up on it.

The car became nearly as silent as it was prior to Aria's speaking, except now she was clicking away at the buttons on her cell phone, which carried through the entire space. She pressed send and immediately slid the top down to place it back in her lap, but not seconds later, Hanna's shrill ringtone erupted from her purse in the floorboard.

Seated behind the driver's chair, Hanna felt safe enough to give Aria a questioning glance, to which Aria blinked a few times at in response. The blonde shrugged and pulled out her cell from its spot in the front pocket of her purse, saying, "My phone has the whole repeating thing. If I don't get the message, it will go on and on. It gets freakin' annoying sometimes."

Her explanation seemed to be ignored by everyone, as no one really asked for it in the first place. Hanna unlocked it to see two new messages: one from Unknown and the other from Aria Montgomery. With a touch-screen phone, she placed her finger on the screen to open A's message. Her eyes widened at what had been sent to her, so she quickly pressed back to go and read Aria's message.

_We need to talk about what they said. Tell Ezra in about five minutes to stop for a bathroom break. -Aria_

Not even bothering to respond, Hanna locked her phone and placed it back in her purse. Totally disregarding Aria's request to wait five minutes, she spoke up, "Mr. Fitz –"

Ezra interrupted her without taking his eyes off the road before him. "Please girls, call me Ezra; I'm not your teacher anymore, remember?" Aria's face broke into a huge grin after his comment, and she immediately grabbed his hand into hers again.

Hanna rolled her eyes in annoyance of being cut off. "_Ezra_, can we stop in a second. I really need to pee."

Ezra narrowed his eyebrows and licked his lips. "Can you wait until we stop for lunch?"

"That's like two and half hours away! C'mon, my bladder is _not_ that big!" Hanna scoffed impatiently.

"Fine! Say no more; I'll exit right now," Ezra exclaimed as he veered the steering wheel to the right a little bit, which directed the car onto a ramp. The gas station they arrived at was small, dirty, and fit the description of a truck stop. However, it was the only place for miles, as the group had reached the first of many 'middle of nowhere' destinations. Ezra killed the ignition as Spencer, Hanna, and Emily began filing out of the backseat.

Aria unbuckled her seatbelt while asking, "You want anything?"

"Just you," Ezra answered softly, then chuckled at Aria's blush. "Thank goodness Hanna wasn't in the car to hear that!"

Aria giggled as she playfully slapped his shoulder. "I'm serious!"

"No, I'm fine," he answered simply.

"Alright, be back in a few." Aria leaned over the console to place a firm kiss on his lips before exiting the car and meeting her friends inside. When walking in, she noticed the girls browsing absentmindedly to give off the appearance that there was nothing out of the ordinary. About thirty seconds later, Hanna silently made her way to the counter to purchase a pack of gum, and the other three stood beside her.

The man behind the counter smiled kindly, opening his mouth to reveal more than five teeth missing. "Total is $1.08." As Hanna pulled out her _Vera Bradley_ wallet to pay, he asked, "Where you four beautiful ladies headed today, hmmm?"

Never taking her eyes off the money she was collecting, Hanna replied, "Work." Aria, Spencer, and Emily looked at her quizzically, and Hanna ignored them as she handed the man two dollar bills. "We work at a strip club; we're the best pole dancers in the state."

The four teen girls nearly broke into laughter at the look of shock yet curiosity on the older man's face. Confidently, Hanna winked and popped a bubble from a piece of gum already in her mouth. "Keep the change." They then raced to the back of the store and into the small bathroom to release their once contained giggles freely.

Emily and Spencer leaned against the wall while attempting to catch their breath, as Aria placed her forehead on Hanna's shoulder, which muffled her laughter. When each had regained their composure, Aria hesitantly began, "A said that they would leave us alone for now, but the whole town will be waiting for when we get back."

"That bitch _really_ needs to get a life," Spencer stated in disgust.

Emily nodded fiercely. "I agree! I mean, who has nothing to do but stalk some teenage girls?"

Crossing her arms close to her body, Hanna muttered, "I seriously thought we'd be done with them after Ian died..."

"That ship sailed when we got more messages after the funeral, Hanna. All thoughts of Ian being A were bogus, no matter how sure we thought it was him," Aria added softly.

Emily shuffled her feet across the tile floor beneath her. "I say we just ignore them right now. They said they were going to leave us alone until we got back..."

"Em's right," Spencer said pin-pointedly. "There's nothing we can do when we're hundreds miles away from home, and if we call, people will just be suspicious."

As always, the girls tensed at the sound of Aria's ringtone beeping. She looked at her phone with a sigh of relief, and informed, "It's only Ezra asking if we're okay... Probably thinks we drowned or something; we've been in here for nearly twenty minutes, so we should probably go."

The walk back to the car was peaceful, much to the decision of not worrying about A anymore. When they opened the car door, they were greeted by Ezra saying, "I just about to come in and make sure you hadn't been kidnapped or anything." He finished his sentence with a light-hearted laugh.

"No, we're fine. Just one bathroom and four girls," Spencer responded innocently as she buckled herself in the middle.

"That, and Aria was looking at pregnancy tests," Hanna added with a teasing smirk.

The look Aria received from Ezra was of pure panic, which she rolled her eyes at. "I'm not pregnant, Ezra; calm down. And you –" she pointed at Hanna angrily before grabbing Ezra's empty coffee cup out of the holder and throwing it straight at the blonde's face. "– need to shut the hell up!"

Hanna squealed as she tried blocking her face from Aria's random act of rage. She then chunked a piece of gum right back in Aria's direction. "You need to _calm the hell down!_" she snapped.

"Guys!" Spencer intervened shortly. "The bickering isn't necessary..."

By the time Aria had slowly faced forward again, Ezra was guiding the car back onto the almost empty highway. Apparently while the girls were inside the gas station, he had decided to play the radio and a familiar tune began. The girls all screamed in delight as Aria twisted the dial to increase the volume.

"There's a fire starting in my heart..." four obnoxious voices practically shouted."...reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark!"

"Oh, God," Ezra mumbled to himself. "Here we go..."

"Finally, I can see you crystal clear. Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare! See how I'll leave with every piece of you; don't underestimate the things that I will do!" As the drum began banging on that line of the song, Hanna pounded her feet against the back of Ezra's chair. However, the rest of the girls were far into the song to notice.

"Hanna!" Ezra groaned, but was unfortunately drowned out by the music.

Spencer then picked up Ezra's empty coffee cup from the floorboard and used it as a microphone. "There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark!"

Emily then got much louder than Aria, Spencer, and Hanna, who was still kicking ferociously at Ezra's seat. "The scars of your love remind me of us; they keep me thinking that we almost had it all! The scars of your love, they leave me breathless; I can't help feeling –"

"WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALL!" Aria belted out at the top of her lungs, with the girls singing "Now I'm gonna wish you never had met me!" in the background.

Aria closed her eyes and continued, "Rolling in the deep! You had my heart and soul in your hand, and you played it to the beat!"

Without skipping a single line, the remainder of the song was finished the same exact way. Eventually, Hanna had stopped stomping her feet to the beat of the drum, which Ezra was grateful for. When the music ended and the station went to commercials, he laughed, "Well, that was something else... Don't take this the wrong way, Aria, but I thought you could sing..."

Aria laughed and placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Oh, I can, but apparently I lower Hanna's self-esteem when I sing really well around her. So, when I'm with them, I just suck like they do!"

Her comment received many 'hey's from her friends, but were brushed off by the laughter to follow. Aria smiled, feeling that the awkwardness from Hanna's previous comments was completely gone. The tension need to stay away, especially since the realization hit her that they still had over fifteen hours to go until reaching Minnesota.

Aria turned her head to the right to look out the window. There wasn't exactly much to see; only grass, trees, more wildlife, and the occasional billboard or two. However, something caught her eye that freed a huge gasp from her lips. With her eyes widened, she grasped Ezra's right wrist in her hold. "Ezra, take this exit... Now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woohoo, long chapter! My fingers hurt from typing sooo much! XD Well, this was fun! I kinda left you with a cliffhanger, so you'll have to wait and see what captured Aria's attention. Keep sending in your ideas! I've already picked one that I'm going to use! :D**

**Please review! Last chapter lost some reviews from the first, and it felt like a slap in the face... :( I wanna try to get 10 before posting the next chapter. Can y'all do that for me? Pretty please with Ezra Fitz on top? Oh, boy... **

**Thanks to you all!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the extensive wait... I had cheer camp (we won, by the way!), then came home with absolutely NO inspiration to write. I've been doing the same stuff every day since: sleeping past noon, waking up to eat some junk food, reblogging too much on tumblr, and resisting the urge to write. **

**I've had enough, and seriously want to write this chapter because I can't wait much longer!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**anything**_**.**

* * *

><p>Ezra momentarily glanced to his right to catch a glimpse of Aria staring out the window. He feared the worst by the tone of her command. "Why?" he asked out of sure panic.<p>

"No questions, Ezra; just take the next exit," Aria sputtered quickly as she slapped his shoulder, which seemed to be some sort of punishment for even asking.

Ezra swerved the wheel toward the immediate exit for the second time of the morning, causing the girls in the back to lean in their seats to brace themselves. With the small car going at least seventy miles per hour, the force of the sudden change of direction released small shrieks from the four teens. Eventually, Ezra decided to press the brake pedal, bringing the silver vehicle to a stop at an intersection.

"Keep going straight," Aria instructed as she strained her neck to see further out the front windshield. "We're almost there."

Ezra brought a hand to his forehead, and exclaimed, "Almost where, Aria?"

Much to his dismay, no answer came from his girlfriend, but only more stares into the distance. Ezra's curiosity peaked as he, too, began to search further down the road in hope of finding out what was so interesting.

Ever the back seat driver, Spencer tapped his shoulder gently, yet impatiently. "Ezra, the light's green now."

"Huh?" Ezra snapped back into reality quickly. "Oh, err, sorry," he apologized while beginning to accelerate.

As the wheels eventually started spinning once more down the access road, Aria's head – along with the others' – rotated to peer out the side window. With an over-exaggerated point of her finger, Aria shouted, "There, Ezra, turn there!"

With not even travelling a mile, the car never reached over thirty miles per hour, thus allowing Ezra to make a steady turn into an empty parking lot. The sight before the teens and their former teacher did not go unnoticed at all, because each added their own personal reaction.

Aria clapped excitedly, happy to be the one who made this joyous discovery; Ezra groaned out an unnecessary "Nooo!", while bringing the car to an immediate halt in the large space of pavement. Emily's jaw simply hung in astonishment, and no words seemed to flee from her mouth; Spencer gave an approving smirk as she placed a hand on Aria's left shoulder, saying in a mockingly elder voice, "You have done well, Young Grasshopper."

Hanna, however, was already unbuckling her seatbelt. "Aria Christine Montgomery, I love you! Ezra, if you don't marry this girl, then I promise you that I will, because she is my momentary hero!"

Still stalled in the middle of a parking lot lane, Ezra raised his head to again read the name of the store in front of him: DSW Shoe Warehouse...and the large, rambunctious banner that hung below it:

STORE CLOSING BLOWOUT! EVERYTHING MUST GO!

75% OFF ALL MERCHANDISE

"No, no, no, and no!" Ezra interrupted, bringing each girl out of their own little world of shoe paradise. "We're not going in; we're running late as it is because of Hanna's extremely long pit stop!"

"We were in there for _twenty_ _minutes_, not four hours, Ezra," Hanna defended with a roll of her eyes.

Emily giggled. "Han's right."

Aria smiled and grabbed Ezra's bicep with a tight squeeze. "C'mon, Ez! Please, for me?" she begged like a small child, sticking out her bottom lip and opening her already wide eyes for the full affect.

Ezra huffed in hesitation. "I don't know..."

"Twenty minutes tops!" Spencer negotiated enthusiastically.

Hanna's mouth flew open in protest, "Twenty minutes for shoes? There's no way I –" She was cut off mid-sentence by Spencer's elbow being grinded into her side. "Ow!"

Ezra's eyebrows quirked up in need of affirmation from Aria. "Twenty minutes tops?"

"Mmhmm," Aria grinned wearily, then leaned over the console to press a firm kiss to his lips. "To seal the deal, happy?"

He blushed in response, as an accidentally-on-purpose chorus of "Ooh, la, la's" erupted from the backseat. "Fine," Ezra reluctantly agreed while taking his foot off the brakes and steering the car to the closest parking spot that wasn't labeled 'handicapped'. "But I expect twenty minutes _only_. I don't want any _Haunted_ _Mansion_ scenario where we end up staying here for days when he said the exact same thing, got it?"

A burst of giggles entered the atmosphere at Ezra's statement and Hanna added, "Oh, I love that movie! Especially the part where the stone-heads start singing. _By the light _–"

"– _by the light, by the light_!" Aria, Spencer, and Emily harmonized behind Hanna's lead vocals.

Hanna's eyes lit up as she beamed from the realization that her best friends knew what she was speaking of. "_Of the silvery moon,_" she continued just as boldly.

Before the rest of the girls even had a chance to follow, Ezra placed the car in park and pulled out his keys with aggression. "Okay, enough singing; I can only handle so much within the hour!" He muttered the next part to himself, "Let's just get this over with..."

When Ezra rounded the back edge of the car, he met up with the girls, who had exited out on Emily's side behind Aria's seat. Hanna was absentmindedly rambling on and on about _Haunted Mansion_, not even certain if she was being listened to. The others had a theory, though: if Hanna could hear herself, then she believed that everyone could hear her as well. "Oh, and the part where the mausoleum door is shut on that zombie, and its arm fell off – so _gross!_"

Spencer, Emily, and Hanna stepped swiftly across the painted cement toward the large shoe store, but Aria lagged behind by securely latching her arm around Ezra's waist. His arm found her shoulders comfortably, and they followed the girls at a safe distance. "Ezra, are you sure you're okay with this? It was pretty spur of the moment..."

"Hmyeah, 'mfine," Ezra mumbled against her head as he pressed a delicate kiss to her hairline. By that time, the couple had entered through the automatic, sliding doors to reveal what seemed like a million pairs of shoes. Ezra chuckled at the blank look across his girlfriend's features. "I'm seriously holding you to the twenty minute deal, though, so you better get started."

Aria nodded dumbly as she stormed off down the first aisle in her reach, nearly knocking over Emily in the process.

Ezra sighed and checked the time on his wrist-watch. _Only nineteen minutes to go_, he thought to himself with dread. As more time passed, he would eventually see one of the girls running around like a maniac in search of another. Constant 'Have you seen so-'n-so?' or 'Which way did they go?' questions were given to him to answer, as each was taking their time limit to an extreme level of seriousness.

One exchange he had witnessed was between Emily and Spencer, both wearing a completely different shoe on their feet. Spencer had her foot held out in front of her to show off a red pump. "Do these say 'sexy' or 'slutty', Em?"

Emily lowered her head to examine the options before her. "I'd say they're sexy, but the heel is pretty high. Toby may not like it if you're towering over him. Go with the black one on your other foot; it screams 'Take it off!', especially if you're going to wear that new dress you bought last Friday. Now, what about mine?"

Spencer brought a hand to her chin and tapped her finger thoughtfully. "They're both tennis shoes..."

"I know," Emily answered shortly, as if it were obvious. "Samara and I are going to start running in the mornings, and I'm looking for cute and comfortable!"

Spencer nodded in agreement. "The pink and black one looks good; the other makes your feet look super bulky and manly."

Ezra watched in amazement as their conversation flew by at the speed of a rocket. No other communication was added between the two girls; only pulling the shoes off and lazily throwing them back into the boxes before moving to the next aisle.

After Emily and Spencer disappeared, he saw no heads, nor was asked any questions for the next ten minutes. Realization immediately sunk in: their twenty minutes was up, and the girls were completely aware of it. Ezra sprang to his feet as if he were on a mission, and casually strolled through each aisle in attempt to locate his girlfriend and her best friends.

With no luck and a shrug of his shoulders, the former English teacher of Rosewood High made his way back to the front of the warehouse. Deep in the farthest corner of the store, the girls continued sorting and trying on shoes while doing their best to hide. Hanna hissed, "I don't understand why you agreed on twenty minutes, Aria!"

Aria narrowed her eyes while standing to her feet in a pair of black, lace up boots. "Spencer was the one who said _twenty minutes_!"

"Can we not play the blame game, here?" Spencer sneered as she sorted everyone's shoes into separate carts so they could hurry back as soon as they were finished.

"Even _I_ know twenty minutes isn't enough, and I rarely shop for shoes," Emily snapped while slipping her own pair of beige flats onto her sore feet.

Suddenly, a very familiar voice boomed over the PA system above. "Attention, can Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Aria Montgomery please make their way to the front checkout center? _Mr. Fitz_ is waiting for you."

Aria nearly threw up at the bitter-sweet tone of her boyfriend's announcement. "We better go, or he might just leave us here..."

The girls weaved their way through the store, each with their own shopping car full of shoe boxes, until they reached the front to see Ezra with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Good, you got my message!"

"_Everyone did_," Spencer spat as she unloaded her fair share of merchandise onto the counter.

Thirty-three pairs of shoes, and 430 dollars later, the five left the oversized warehouse. However, the girls stopped short when they reached the car. "Um, Ezra, where exactly are we supposed to put all this?" Emily asked innocently.

He shrugged without a care in the world. "Not my problem."

"Ezra Fitz," Aria bellowed in astonishment. "There's absolutely no need to be rude!"

"I'm just saying that you could've thought about that factor _before_ you bought eight pairs of shoes each," he answered roughly, not making eye contact with his angry girlfriend.

Hanna nearly dropped her bags in shock. "We're supposed to be in New York! We can't come back with nothing in our hands, you know!" she replied, flabbergasted.

Aria's expression softened a tiny bit. "She has a point... I guess we'll have to hold them in out laps, then."

Another ten minutes later, everyone was situated as comfortably as they could be, and Ezra was backing out of his parking space silently.

"Oh my God!" Hanna shrieked. "Did I ever show you guys _Nyan Cat_? Well, I know Emily's seen it..."

"What is _Nyan Cat?_ Spencer asked in complete and utter confusion. Within seconds, Hanna had the video playing on her phone and handed it to Spencer.

A little musical sound began to fill the car before a series of cat-like noises sang in a catchy rhythm. Spencer squinted harshly. "What's it saying?"

"It sounds like meow..." Aria pondered out loud.

"Well, 'nyan' means 'meow' in Japanese, so I guess that makes sense," Spencer confirmed as she passed Hanna's phone on to Aria in the passenger seat.

Aria fixed her eyes on the screen and watched about ten seconds, then questioned, "Is this the_ entire_ thing?"

Hanna giggled. "Pretty much!"

"There's a ten hour one, too!" Emily added with a wink.

Aria made a gagging noise. "No, thank you!"

Now at a red light, Ezra swiped the cell phone from Aria's grip so he could have a turn. "What the hell is this?...it's a cat shaped like a pop tart –" He grimaced. "– with rainbows flying out its ass."

As the girls laughed, Hanna took her phone back from over Ezra's shoulder and decided to sing along with the cat. "Meow, meow, meow..." Soon, everyone had joined in on the _Nyan Cat_ concert, including Ezra – which caused the girls to giggle even more.

As Hanna continued to play the video, Aria's cell phone rang randomly. She picked it up, having the feeling of A breathing down her neck wash over her, to read the screen. However, it wasn't a text, but a phone call and the caller id read:

_Incoming Call  
>Jason DiLaurentis<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm going to leave it at that 'cause I wanna see what's in store for Aria and Jason in tonight's episode, then I'll go from there... I LOVED WRITING THIS CHAPTER! The sense of relief I get when writing suddenly rushed back to me, and I was able to get some humor in here! Thanks for all who reviewed last chapter! It means so much, so Imma make y'all a deal:**

**If I get 20 (or more) reviews, I'll have the chapter up by Friday.  
>If I get 15 - 19 reviews, I'll have the chapter up by Sunday.<br>If I get 10 - 14 reviews, I'll have the chapter up by Tuesday.  
><strong>**If I get anything under 10, then I'll write it on my own time...**

**Please review! Feedback is greatly appreciated! **

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, I'm going to be blunt: the reviewers of the PLL Forum are by far the BEST out of all FFnet! :D I got 29 reviews in just a little over a day – incredible. Here are some responses to a few reviews that stuck out to me:**

**-A****: Bring it on, bitch! I can take anything you throw my way! ;P**

**Ezria,PLL,10****: Hell yes is right! I'd definitely jump to a 75% shoe sale any day! **

**pretty,little,soprano****: JasonCat, running towards that toaster! XD oh, good times...good times. **

**betheeheartsPLL****: OMG, OMG, OMG! BestReviewEver. I swear, I was laughing so hard! If you write that story, I will be an avid reader/reviewer! ;D**

**cky297****: Who are you, the fun police? I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to use **_**Nyan Cat**_** in my stories, and I never did claim it as my own; I even italicized it every time...even in the previous sentence! What are the people who made it going to do? Hunt me down and make me listen to the ten hour song? I'm not trying to be rude, just getting my point across that I think you're the only one who cares about the copyright issues. (If we're worried about copyright, then I'm sure there are plenty of other authors who have violated it, too.) I'm just sayin'. **

**Okay, as promised, here's chapter 5 by the appropriate date!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**ANYTHING**_**!**

* * *

><p>Even though everyone was still intrigued in the entertainment known as <em>Nyan Cat<em>, Aria immediately hit the 'ignore' button on her cell phone, sending the elder DiLaurentis sibling straight to voicemail. Answering his call would've been a mistake, as seeing that every other occupant of the vehicle took a particular disliking to Jason. With never even taking the call, Aria was sent back to the home screen of her cell, which then notified that she had received three new text messages, and missed another two calls.

Out of curiosity – and hope it wasn't one of her parents – Aria gently pressed the envelope logo and began scrolling through her messages. All three had been from Jason, but fortunately missed while she and the girls were on their epic shoe expedition.

_New Text Message  
>From: Jason DiLaurentis<br>10:46 AM  
><em>_"Aria, can we talk?"_

She swiped her finger sideways, changing her view to another unread message he had sent three minutes later.

_New Text Message  
>From: Jason DiLaurentis<br>10:49 AM  
>"Hello, Aria, are you ignoring me?"<em>

Aria performed the same action to switch to the next message; however, she assumed he had called before sending it, since there was a long time gap between the two.

_New Text Message  
>From: Jason DiLaurentis<br>10:56 AM  
><em>_"Aria! Answer your damn phone! I know you have it with you."_

That was the last time he had attempted to contact her through text, and the second missed call was from when she had decided not to take his call. Angry, yet somewhat interested in what he needed to tell her, Aria touched the 'reply' option with the edge of her fingertip, and was quick to reply with, _"What do you want, Jason?"_

After sending it, Aria tossed her cell phone carelessly into the cup holder, not even wanting to deal with the over-sized problem known as Jason DiLaurentis. Her friends thought he was nothing but a creep, and seemed very confident in the idea that he was the actual murderer of his baby sister, Alison. Even though Aria had tried to persuade them into thinking otherwise, the girls refused to budge.

Aria had rolled her eyes more than enough and responded every time within her head, _They'll come around._ She truely wished they would indeed do just that, especially since all four were once so hyped up on Toby Cavanaugh and now he was nothing but innocent and perfect for Spencer. Same goes for Ian Thomas, though in general he _was_ a very creepy guy, but he ended up being killed by some insane stalker for a crime he never even committed.

However, the little town known as Rosewood was still convinced Ian Thomas was to blame, because they didn't have the information A had bestowed upon the girls. So, at the moment, Jason DiLaurentis was the target suspect in the girls' own real-life version of _Clue_. The main aspect of their 'game' was to find out _who_ killed Ali, _where_ they killed her, and _what_ was used to kill her. Although, the autopsy declared Ali's cause of death to be strangulation, so they had one question down...just the two most important to go.

With the help of A, their recent discovery was the fact that Ali had shut off the camera before walking home from meeting Ian on the night she disappeared. The rest was a mystery to the girls, except for Aria. With Ian dead and his suicide-slash-confession note out in the open, Jason was rejoicing on the fact that it wasn't him all stoned and angry who had killed his sister out of jealousy...but Aria knew better, because she had a piece of information that Jason didn't: that A had written the note, not Ian.

Unanswered questions swam around Aria's mind: If Ian didn't kill her, did Jason? Was Jason really messed up enough to ring his own sister's neck, and not remember a single thing from the previous night when he woke up? And who wrote Jason an 'I know what you did' note for him to find the morning after? Could it really been Jason who took that picture of Ali walking across the lawn that A sent a few months ago?

Were her best friends on the right track to Jason being their dead, long-time friend's killer, or was he just as innocent as Ian or Toby?

Aria rubbed her temples in frustration – too much was flowing through her mind when she was supposed to let herself forget it all for the next couple of days. She eventually allowed those thoughts fade by directing her attention back to Ezra and the girls, who were engaged in a deep conversation of well-known _YouTube _videos.

Emily laughed at a something Aria hadn't heard. "I think my favorite of all time is _Charlie the Unicorn_!"

Spencer and Hanna beamed before bleating, "Charlieeeee... Charlieeeee!"

"Candy Mountain, Charlie!" Emily added in just like the unicorns from the video as Aria's phones vibrated from its position in the cup holder; she bit her bottom lip and slid the cover open carefully.

_New Text Message  
>From: Jason DiLaurentis<br>11:01 AM  
><em>_"I just want to talk, that's all. Have you listened to my voicemails? If you haven't, then don't. If you have, I'm sorry for saying those things to you...it was uncalled for."_

Aria cringed even at the idea of what Jason had said to her. She silently thanked God for not checking her voicemail, for it might have made matters extremely worse. Suddenly, Ezra's burst of laughter rung in her ears and pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Oh my God," Ezra exclaimed, keeping his focus on the road before him. "I remember that being the biggest thing when I was a senior in high school!"

"No way; really?" Hanna asked incredulously.

Ezra laughed even louder. "Hanna, I'm twenty-three; that's not _that_ old!"

Aria smiled at the exchange between her boyfriend and best friend, which caused her to feel a rush of relief shoot down her spine. She didn't need 'Jason drama' at the moment, especially when all that was happening was turning out to be just dandy, mainly since she was with the people the loved and cared for the most. Making a firm decision _not_ to contact Jason anymore for the remainder of the trip, she silenced her phone completely and slipped it under her leg for protection.

Spencer set her lips in a firm line to prove she was in deep thought. "I think mine is... _The Bed Intruder Song_!"

"He's climbing through yo windows. he's snatchin' yo people up; tryin' to rape 'em, so ya need to HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO WIFE, HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YOU WIFE, and HIDE YO HUSBAND 'cause they rapin' errbody out there!" all four girls screamed at the top of their lungs, then immediately fell over in laughter when finished.

Ezra's expression showed one of bewilderment. "Where in the _world_ do you find these things?"

"You've never heard that song?" Emily asked in amazement. "It's so popular!"

"I'm _old_, remember?" Ezra teasingly shot back with a look in his rearview mirror.

This caused Hanna to playfully stick her tongue out in return. "How about _Friday_? Do you know that one?"

He groaned so disapprovingly that the girls were taken aback. "YES," he hissed. "Aria sings it way too often."

"What? I hear someone sing it in the hallway, then it gets stuck in my head! Not my fault that it slips from my mouth occasionally while I'm cleaning _your_ apartment as you sit on the couch doing nothing..."

"I'm resting from my long day's work," Ezra exaggerated with a faint hand to his forehead.

"Long day's work my ass!" Aria shrieked, placing her finger in her mouth then removing it to stick in his ear.

He cringed at the wet saliva. "Ugh, Aria!"

Spencer snickered. "It's a Wet Willy, Ezra. We all know that you'd rather have her actual tongue in your ear, but there are other people in the car that'd rather not see that!"

Emily giggled as Hanna gaped proudly at her friend's words, which seemed to bring the familiar blushing back to Aria's and Ezra's cheeks once again. The blonde of the group simply placed her hand in the air, and Spencer knowingly slapped hers against it, erupting a 'clanging' noise from the contact of their jewelry.

Ezra cleared his throat to free the tension and to make it known that he was no longer going to be brought down by the girls' hidden sexual innuendos. "How about some lunch, then? We're going to have to eat in the car, though, to make up for lost time."

No one seemed to object to the idea of eating in the car, but it was the comment about _where_ everyone wanted to eat that began the bickering. From the sign Ezra read on the side of the highway, their choices were _McDonald's, Taco Bell, Schlotzsky's, _or_ Panda Express._

Each girl had shouted out a different opinion at the same exact time: Hanna called burgers, Spencer wanted tacos, and Emily desired a sandwich while Aria blurted out orange chicken. "I'm up for anything," Ezra offered kindly while taking the correct exit, thus bringing up the opportunity for more argument. "Okay, okay, how about I think of a number between one and a hundred; closest guess to my number gets to pick, sound good?"

His response was grumbling coming from the back seat, but an approving nod from Aria as she grasped his hand and intertwined their fingers. Smiling at his girlfriend's affectionate gesture, Ezra added, "I'll text Aria the number I'm thinking of so there's proof."

Aria, taking the hint, gathered her phone from underneath her thigh and placed it face-down on the console to where the screen was hidden. Now sitting in a random parking lot off the side of the road, Ezra reached into the back pocket of his jeans for his own cell. He punched in his random number down near the floorboard, that way none of the girls would feel the necessity to peer over his shoulder and cheat. He stared at Aria's phone momentarily, waiting for some sort of indication that the text had been received, but Aria admitted, "It's on silent," and with a tilt of her head, "Go ahead and check it."

Ezra slightly lifted the phone up to see E.F. with a heart next to his initials, and smiled at the discovery of how she had programmed him into her phone. He then gave his attention to Hanna. "You go first."

"Ninety-nine," Hanna answered with all the confidence in the world.

Spencer tapped her finger on her chin several times, much like she had done when contemplating Emily's shoes. "Thirty-seven."

"I'm gonna go with fourteen," Emily said.

Ezra looked to Aria, who replied shyly, "Sixty-two."

His jaw suddenly slacked as he picked up Aria's phone to reveal the number he had come up with. "It's sixty-two..."

"I got it spot on? Whoa," Aria whispered.

As Emily and Spencer's faces fell with disappointment, Hanna yelled, "Wait a minute! Let me see that!" She snatched the phone from Ezra's grip. "Okay, it has to be rigged or something! _No one_ ever gets it exactly right! Plus, I don't want Chinese food..."

Aria gave her friends an apologetic look. "Maybe we just know each other well enough."

"Very well," Ezra confirmed with extra emphasis and a wink, making his girlfriend blush.

"Ugh, okay, we've seen enough," Spencer protested. "It's only funny when we crack disgusting jokes about the two of you, but when y'all jump in on it..."

While slamming her elbow on the side of the door and resting her chin on her hand, Hanna muttered, "Let's just get the damn orange chicken already."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not my best chapter, but oh well; it's on time as promised! Note: THIS IS NOT AN ARSON SHIPPING ZONE. If you like Aria and Jason as a couple, I'm going to have to ask you not to review. Although, I'm not sure why an Arson shipper would be reading an Ezria story anyway, but if that's the case... Save yourself the trouble of bashing the Ezria Family, because we overpower your number by, like, a bajillion. **

**I actually haven't had any negative reviews regarding the couple issue, but this is just a warning. Ezrians don't tolerate haters; we will FIND YOU and dominate. :P Okay, I'm done threatening(: **

**Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated, and I expect plenty since I'm posting this a day early(; So, we'll do the same thing as last time because I liked it: **

**20 (or more) = Monday  
>15 - 19 = Wednesday<br>10 - 14 = Next Friday  
>Anything under 10 = Later than next Friday<strong>

**Thanks again sooo much! Y'all are **_**THE BEST**_**! **

**XxLadyStrengthxX**

**P.S. Sorry for the freakishly long ANs. I'll shorten them in next chapter! :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I've been having this inner-battle with myself on whether or not I should skip, like, five hours and give out some Ezria fluff. My decision is based off the fact that the Ezria Family has been hit with great turmoil and distress.**

**That being: the Arson shippers number is quickly multiplying, and some Ezrians (I think I came up with the term, actually :P) are losing faith in the perfection known as Aria/Ezra. Many feel distraught and grow weary at any sign of Arson promotion or Ezria fallback. They're in great need of a pick-me-up – I admit I fall into the category – which is why I've come to the conclusion of indeed fast-forwarding to the point where the girls and Ezra take the night off from travelling. **

**It took me five chapters to get through, I think was, four hours or so... If I continued to do that, I'd run out of ideas for the trip HOME! Remember, they're stuck with each other for **_**six**_** days. So, there's a little brief summary at the beginning of what were to happen if I expanded it throughout another five chapters. EEK! D: ...I hope that makes sense.**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, it **_**pains**_** me to admit that I have no say over what happens in the show...but this story is my own domain! Muahahaha...erm, on to it, now.**

* * *

><p>Much to Ezra's surprise, lunch, as well as the remainder of the driving for the day, went fairly well in his opinion. Stopping at <em>Panda Express<em> seemed to shut up the girls in the back, obviously attempting to pout enough that they would end up getting something they wanted in return. However, when Ezra refused to make several stops, it only worsened their moods. It was as if the three had morphed into cranky toddlers, with their arms crossed tightly over their chests and bottom lips pushed out in the farthest possible way. They were the spot-on image of a young child who had just developed a steaming personality; however, each girl resembled a different expression and attitude.

Starting with Emily, who supported the 'silent treatment' portion. On a normal day-to-day basis, she'd the be one to undergo a polite manner and answer any question sincerely when asked, but no matter how hard Aria or Ezra tried to start conversation with her, Emily only responded by throwing them a quick glance before gazing out the window.

Spencer contributed with the 'I'm so mad, I don't even know how to feel' sort of reaction. Her eyes were so narrowed that any other person would see it as squinting, but since Aria and Ezra knew the situation, her scowl was completely called for. At one point, the familiar, hard-headed Spencer Hastings showed herself by disregarding Ezra's request to remove her shoes from the edge of the console where the vents rested. She smirked and slowly brought her left foot down aggressively on top of the actual console, then proceeded to cross the right foot gracefully over the other.

Hanna, ever the outspoken one of the girls, was the avid thrower of temper-tantrums. Over a course of two hours – while Emily and Spencer had successfully remained quiet – Hanna would randomly start off into unnecessary hissy fits. First being that her legs were cramped and Ezra had his seat too far back, which was _clearly_ the cause of her painful problem. Though Ezra pointed out that there were bags upon bags of shoes piled in the floorboard, Hanna only took it as a sort of challenge in which to argue with. Bringing up another rant about how he should invest in a larger car that could hold more items.

"I don't need a bigger car, Hanna, because it's normally _not_ crammed with teenage girls, luggage, and the world's supply of shoes," was Ezra's reply, and somehow the witty Hanna didn't whip up a clever comeback; only slouched back and leaned onto the leather headrest.

Around three in the afternoon, all had calmed down. Emily's headphones were securely set in her ears; Hanna's magazine pages would lightly wisp as she turned the page; the semi-strong scent of Spencer's highlighter roamed the car as she marked in her SAT preparation book; and Aria's fight with sleep resulted in an epic loss for the petite girl. With the radio shut off, Ezra came to peace with himself and sighed in content. _This_ is what he had been wishing for since the moment the five had stepped inside the silver _Sedan_.

He continued to speed down the highway at nearly eighty miles per hour, occasionally glancing at the digital clock to check their progress. Ezra seemed satisfied, as they were actually ahead of schedule, and simply drummed his fingers across the top of the steering wheel. _When they're occupied, things aren't so bad_.

Time seemed to tick away slowly, nearing four o'clock, and the girls' attention had once again been changed to something else. Aria woke up with an aggressive yawn and smacking of her lips, then grabbed the shoulders of her seat to twist her waist in hopes of popping her back. She then began questioning Emily on how the torturous life of rooming with Hanna Marin seemed to be going, all at a reasonable volume of voice projection.

Spencer gorged herself into a crossword puzzle book – always the one for educational fun – as Hanna watched several bought episodes of _Say Yes to the Dress_ on her phone, using the headphones she had recently stolen straight out of Emily's ears while she was listening to her iPod.

As four-thirty approached, impatient squirming seemed to make an appearance. The girls' shifting became more noticeable, with it soon becoming an endless cycle. One girl would move, thus making the other next to her uncomfortable, causing them to reposition themselves and so on. Ezra, now aware of the restlessness, cleared his throat.

A shrill whine suddenly shot through everyone's ears. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, Hanna," Ezra answered, dumbing down his voice as if he were talking to his spunky six-year-old niece, Bridget. "I've got to find us a reasonable hotel to stay in."

The blonde popped her gum loud within her mouth, causing Spencer to cringe at the sound. "Mkay," she muttered in disappointment.

Another fifteen minutes later, the five were exiting the car in a _Holiday Inn _parking lot and stretching as if they were about to run a marathon. Nearly five hours straight in the car had caught up to them; their limbs tight and some even asleep. Ezra, with the help of Aria, unloaded the numerous amount of suitcases out of the trunk, while the others transferred their shoes into the space the luggage once was. As they wheeled their bags through the sliding doors, Ezra mentioned, "You do have money, right?"

"Of course," Spencer said shortly, bringing the subject matter to an abrupt close.

Emily, Spencer, and Hanna hung back while Ezra and Aria checked in at the front desk. When finished, they swapped roles and the girls then made their way up to book a room. The first words out of Hanna's mouth were, "How close of a room can we get to them?" She motioned her head back toward the direction the 'forbidden' couple had retreated to.

"Well," replied the young woman of approximately twenty-five. "It doesn't have a conjoining room, so the next best thing is right next to it."

Emily winced. "Han, are we sure that's what we wanna do?"

Hanna smirked as she peered over her shoulder to see Aria and Ezra's hands linked in front of them, swaying in and out. When Ezra leaned forward to whisper in his girlfriend's ear, and Hanna saw Aria's eyes widen and her mouth form a perfect 'O' shape, she whipped back around. "It's perfect; we'll take it."

It was then that Emily noticed the mischief in her new roommate's eyes and nervously swallowed a large lump in her throat.

* * *

><p>Rooms found, ways parted, and luggage rolled aside, Ezra dead-bolted the lock of his and Aria's door before striding over to her in three large steps. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he practically tackled her onto the bed – the plush of the mattress catching their fall. Without missing a beat, Ezra's lips claimed Aria's in a passionate kiss, but lingered when eventually pulling away. "Finally, I have you all to myself."<p>

Aria's hair sprawled out across the bed wildly from Ezra's forceful attack, but she giggled nonetheless. "It wasn't that bad, Ez."

He dramatically rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, I couldn't kiss you without it being turned into some chick-flick scene."

"Well, we're here now and –" She cuts off to gesture around the empty hotel room. "– I'm pretty sure the walls aren't going to say anything..."

Ezra flashed his boyish smile as he dipped his head to press light kisses on Aria's neck. He started a trail just below her earlobe, and dotted his lips past her jaw line to end at the base of her collarbone. His nipping and sucking at her flesh elicited a moan of pleasure from Aria, all the while she had her eyes closed and hands gently tugging at his curly black locks.

Placing a hand on the small of her back, he brought his lips back to hers and slowly maneuvered them to an upright position. Without wasting any time, Ezra immediately found the hem of her camisole and tugged it upwards over her body, which snagged the crop-top too as it fell to the floor in a bundle. He freely let his hands roam while Aria reached for the middle of his chest, only to grasp air.

Ezra chuckled in realization of what she had meant to do. "Normally I'm in a tie, I know," he mumbled against her mouth, then teased a little with the bottom lip.

Aria whimpered at his actions, forcefully stripping him of his own shirt, too. "Makes things easier on me."

Another searing make-out session was in the process when Ezra lightly grabbed Aria's shoulder and navigated her to lie down again. He placed his hands on the fashionable belt of her jeans, but a loud, obnoxious banging interrupted them.

"It's too quiet in there!" the one and only Hanna Marin scolded from the other side of the door. "Open up, sex demons; we're hungry!"

Ezra groaned into the crook of Aria's neck. "_GO AWAY_!"

...and just when he thought this trip was going back to some sort of normalcy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I think that's a good place to stop, don't you? Haha, you're probably like, NOOOOOOO! SEX. SEX. SEX. Don't worry, it's coming! ;)**

**Okay, so 30 reviews last chapter? HELL YES! :D Thank you sooooo much! Again, I'm super early with this post, so thank me with a review? Pretty please, with Ezra on top? Gah, not again...**

**No promises when the next chapter will be up. Next week is fairly full, but there may be a chance on Monday...once again, no promises; just keep a look out(:**

**Please review if you want Ezria – as Hanna would say – to do the dirty! XD **

**XxLadyStrengthxX**

**P.S. Bridget is Ezra's 6 year old niece in pretty,little,soprano's story **_**Misadventures in Babysitting**_**. Go check it out (and review); it's awesome! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, 32 reviews? Thanks a bunches, heehee(: I apologize greatly for not updating quickly. I start school on August 8th (private school; shoot me), and have been getting ready for that... -_-**

**For those of you who reviewed **_**Baby Steps**_**, thank you so much! I got such awesome response on it! (If you haven't read my Ezra 2x07 oneshot, please do!) And I AM SO SORRY for those of you who did not receive the spoiler for this chapter. My internet has been down, and I couldn't send some of them; then there are the anonymous reviews – which I didn't even think about not being able to PM a person with no account. :/ Again, sorry...**

**Disclaimer: notmineiwishitwas...sadface.**

* * *

><p><em>It was the best of times; it was the worst of times<em>...

The infamous quote reeled throughout Aria's mind as Ezra nuzzled her neck in annoyance. However, she didn't need the remainder of Charles Dickens' words from the long-lived novel, _A Tale of Two Cities_, to describe the situation. Though the well-known author had his own meaning and life behind his work, Aria seemed that her current state was a sufficient explanation to the quote as well.

_It was the best of times _- Ezra had finally gotten them alone.

It was a must after the numerous attempts of spending quality time together were ruined. Although, they _were_ in a car for the majority of the day, and thus deemed impossible to have any sort of romantic or heart-felt conversation. Of course, there was always the chance to talk openly and intimately, but that would practically be _asking_ for Hanna's skillful talent of cracking a naughty joke within seconds.

Which brings up _the worst of times_ – Aria's friends were currently standing on the opposite side of the door, while she and their former English teacher were tangled in each other's limbs atop the bed – both half-naked and caught in the heat of their miniscule moment.

_Of all times!_ Aria scolded within her head. There were multiple chances in which the couple could've easily taken a further step into their relationship, but each were halted by one or the other, giving some excuse as to why waiting would be the best option. After dinner – or what was supposed to be dinner, but turned into an awkward staring contest with Jason DiLaurentis – at the Montgomery's, Ezra hadn't jumped at being too intimate with Aria, troubling her terribly.

The average peck of the lips, temple, or cheek was as close as he came to trying. Ezra was bothered by the quiet and up-close conversation Aria had had with the elder DiLaurentis sibling; mainly because he couldn't hear even the tiniest bit of what they were discussing. He felt bad for trying to eaves-drop, but his over-protective instinct set in, and around the same time, the little green monster began to dwell inside his brain.

Jealousy – Ezra had come to seriously envy whatever Jason and Aria had...if they even had _anything_.

He called her out on it days later, asking if he needed to worry about her and 'this Jason guy'. Aria replied negatively, which calmed his nerves by a large amount.

However, going back to the position they were currently set in – Aria's back crushed against the bedspread with Ezra holding his weight above her – was the closest they had been in about two weeks. The pair had been so cautious, then not nearly ten seconds of being secluded within four closed walls, all barriers were crushed down by passion and desire.

That said passion and desire dissolved into anger and annoyance the moment Hanna's shrill voice claimed them as 'sex demons'. Ezra's groan was muffled into the curve of where Aria's neck and shoulder met, thus preventing the girls from hearing it. Aria certainly was aware of his reaction, but nearly forgot they weren't alone when Ezra decided to ignore the girls' presence and started peppering kisses at the base of her throat. A breathy moan unexpectedly escaped her swollen, pink lips.

A bang against the wooden door – much louder than the previous ones – shook Aria back into reality immediately. She pushed Ezra's chest up, detaching his lips from her sensitive skin. "Ezra!" she hissed, now fully aware of what was happening. "Get a shirt on or something!"

A small pout was visible across Ezra's features as he leaned down to pick of the basic tee he was supporting for the day. Before slipping it over his head, he stepped towards the door, where Hanna was still clearly talking, and unlocked it carefully.

As soon as a 'click' was heard, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily forced their way into the unfashionably carpeted room. Their eyes widened at the sight before them: a still-shirtless, yet calm Ezra and a frantically bra-clad Aria in search of her own clothing.

"GUYS!" Aria shrieked in embarrassment as she continued to locate her camisole and crop-top. "Ugh, Ezra, where's my shirt?"

"Dunno," Ezra replied unhelpfully, pulling his arms through the holes of his t-shirt.

"You're the one who _threw_ it somewhere," she muttered while falling to her knees to check under the bed. When her head popped up to peer over the mattress, Aria sneered, "Enjoying the unfolding scene?"

Hanna barked an obnoxious laugh. "This is too much for words!"

Aria sighed in frustration. "Just go down to the hotel's cafe, and I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Emily nodded. "Okay, we'll get a table."

"C'mon, Teach," Spencer called at Ezra, as Hanna reached for the doorknob to exit. As he followed the girls, he looked over his right shoulder to share a sympathetic smile with his girlfriend, which she surprisingly gave back.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Aria made her way out of the elevator to enter the small eating establishment of the hotel. Seated around a rectangular table, the girls and Ezra were all looking over menus thoughtfully. Aria placed herself in an empty chair between Ezra and the window.<p>

"Oh, good, you found your shirt," Spencer noticed with a mischievous smile playing at her lips.

With a roll of her eyes, Aria retorted, "Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, Spence."

"Where was it?" Hanna asked casually, never lifting her gaze from the menu in front of her on the table.

"Under the nightstand," she answered hesitantly. Aria could sense that something was off, for Hanna hadn't cracked one joke since the whole fiasco.

Ezra cleared his throat in hopes of lightening the mood. "The burger sounds good..."

* * *

><p>Being the only customers besides a family with two small children, the five ordered, received, and ate their food within an hour or so. Plans for the next day were discussed, with Ezra reminding the girls that they needed to be down in the lobby by seven in the morning. Groans erupted from their mouths as heads hit the table in frustration, causing Ezra to narrow his eyes at each of them – even Aria, since she was on Team Disapproval.<p>

"Can't we just sleep in?" was not a valid question to ask after the groaning took place, which the teenagers found out the hard way by Ezra changing the time to six o'clock instead.

* * *

><p>As their waitress took the check away with the correct amount of money, Emily then offered, "I saw an arcade on the way down here. Anyone wanna check it out with me?"<p>

"Sure," Hanna answered as Spencer said, "Why not?"

They expectantly turned to Aria, who replied with, "Um, actually, Ezra and I are going to hit the hot tub, sorry..."

Emily smiled warmly. "No harm done. We already have our wallets, so let's just go straight there," she suggested as she stood with Spencer and Hanna.

As they stepped away, Hanna's voice could be heard as she added, "I want to see the gift shop, too!"

When they were out of sight, Ezra wrapped his arm around Aria's waist. "Looks like they'll be occupied for a while..."

She nudged him slightly in the ribs. "Cut it out, Romeo; save it for the hot tub." With a smirk from Ezra's expression, Aria winked before standing and pushing in her chair. "You coming or not?"

Ezra nodded furiously as he eagerly trailed behind his teasing girlfriend. They rode the elevator back to the room to change into their swimsuits and grab a few towels before retreating downstairs to the pool area. With the air still being somewhat chilly, the in-ground swimming facilities were kept inside, along with the hot tub.

Aria slid the room key into the sensitive lock in order to gain access to the tiled room. It was mainly white, and every sound seemed to unnecessarily echo throughout the entire space. Ezra placed the towels in a chair in the corner, then strode over to the smaller, heated tub. He anxiously stepped into the bubbling water, sighing in content as his skin warmed quickly. He side-glanced at Aria – who had just completed the task of throwing her hair into a sloppy bun, and was now slipping a simple sundress over her head.

His eyes followed her every move, watching as a new piece of exposed skin would unravel itself when the dress inched higher. Soon, her petite frame was coming closer, but Ezra couldn't tear his gaze from where they lay on her somewhat toned, yet pale shade.

Aria was smiling slightly, no doubt pleased that her older boyfriend had taken a liking in what he saw. "Does it feel good?"

"Hm?" he asked, distracted.

She crossed her arms playfully over her chest in order to block his view. "Ezra."

He finally made eye contact with her. "What?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "The water..."

"What about it?"

Her impatience suddenly kicked in, and it took a good amount of self-control in order not to slap him. "_Does the water feel good?_"

"Oh, yeah!" Ezra exclaimed in realization. Aria dipped the tips of her toes experimentally, as if a test to see if he was fibbing. She smiled as she then sank down into the water next to Ezra, bringing his face into her hands and smothering him into a kiss. He groaned approvingly as he placed one of his larger hands behind her neck, with the other on her left thigh.

In one swift movement, Ezra straightened Aria's left leg, forcing her hips to turn forward to face him. Never breaking the series of kisses, Aria settled herself around his waist in a straddle position and lightly traced her right hand down Ezra's cheek to his shoulder, then freezing her palm on his chest. The hand Ezra had grasping Aria's neck slowly snaked down her side teasingly, releasing a moan from her lips in pleasure.

After rubbing smooth circles on her lower back, he tapped his fingers upward until wrapping them around the straps that secured her bikini to her body. Ezra tugged slightly, just to see how she'd react. _Is this taking things too fast? Most likely not, considering that so much more could've happened if Hanna and the girls hadn't interrupted us..._ Ezra answered himself while continuing to pull the black strings inch by inch.

Aria responded by pressing her body more closely to his, and digging her nails so deeply into his shoulder blade that there were sure to be crescent indentions. She moaned a very clear 'yes' into his mouth, giving him the opportunity to prod his tongue right into hers. Ezra, without any hesitance, yanked free the remaining amount of what was left of the bow, letting the strings fall to her sides.

With no space whatsoever between their chests, the bikini top made no movement. Excited and eager, Ezra guided his hands to pull the swimsuit over his girlfriend's head; however, a clearing of a throat from beside them tore them apart.

Standing at the top stairs of the hot tub was a man in his early thirties from the restaurant, who was more than visibly furious with what he had just witnessed. "Do you two mind? This is a public place, not your actual room! For God's sake, there are _children_ here!" He then motioned behind him where his wife was attempting to cover the eyes of squirming, four-year-old, twin boys.

"Er, sorry..." Aria apologized, blushing a deep red in humiliation; Ezra kept quiet while tying her top around her rib-cage once again. They climbed out of the hot tub silently and rushed over to their belongings, gathering everything in a giant bundle in order to leave as soon as possible. The pair left the tiled room and paused in an empty hallway to situate the items in their hands better.

As Aria began stepping into her dress, Ezra stopped her, "Don't put that back on." She gave him a quizzical look in confusion. "It'd only be a waste of time, 'cause it's only going to come off the moment we get back upstairs..."

Aria beamed in excitement, knowing that no one was going to stop them this time. Like a bouncy toddler, she challenged seductively, "Race you; first one there takes control."

Ezra quirked his eyebrows. "You're on," he agreed calmly, before taking off down the hallway running without so much as a warning.

Aria giggled shockingly and chased after him, screaming words along the lines of "No fair, you got a head start!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, since I feel bad, I'm going to tell you: next chapter is a promise of the 'dirty', but I'm not going into detail since I wanna keep this story rated T.**

**I don't know when I will be able to update, since I start school in a week...again, kill me. This was a pretty long chapter for not updating in a while, so I'd love it if you reviewed! I promise to update as soon as I get some free time!**

**Please, please, please review! You guys are seriously the best!**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Holy shit, XxLadyStrengthxX is updating – the end of the world is near! :O ...haha, so, I'm gonna be honest and say that senior year kicks butt and that I have at least three hours of homework every night. This prevents me from doing what I love: writing! :( But, because I'm so tired and falling asleep in my classes, my mom let me skip school today! THEREFORE, I AM TAKING ADVANTAGE TO UPDATE MY FAVORITE STORY! :P**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be, dammit.**

* * *

><p>"That arcade was the most boring one I've ever been to," Emily complained as she took a bite of cheesecake sitting on her lap. "...I really hope Ezra doesn't mind us ordering room service."<p>

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Em, he won't care 'cause he's not paying for our room. We are, remember? But this red velvet cake is so damn good; I couldn't resist!" She then took a bite of her own dessert, chewing it slowly to savor the taste.

Hanna pushed the remaining crumbs of her chocolate cake around her plate. "The arcade was more fun than the gift shop!" she replied bitterly, going back to Emily's previous comment. "Even if it did have just a pin ball machine and an air hockey table, it sure beats a convenience store. There wasn't even any merchandise for me to buy besides food and toiletries!"

Emily craned her head to the left in the direction of Hanna's plastic bag she brought up to the room. "Then what did you buy?"

"Tampons," Hanna shrugged innocently, causing the other girls to do just the same in response. "Hey, do we even know where we're going on this trip?"

Hanna's random question alarmed Spencer and Emily, as they straightened in their seats with widened eyes. Spencer spoke, "No, actually, they never told us..."

"And they've never even talked about it out loud before," Emily added with confusion in her tone. "Do _they _even know where they're going?"

"Maybe they're just driving to God knows where. Hell, they could be on a roadtrip to get out of Rosewood for a few days," Hanna suggested while setting down her plate on the floor beneath her.

Spencer nodded in agreement. "I don't blame them either. Whether we're in New York or with the happy couple, as long as I'm out of hell on earth, than I'm okay."

"Especially with A giving us a break." Emily pulled out her phone to scroll through her messages. "I haven't gotten a text in nearly twenty-four hours."

Hanna muttered, "But then there's dealing with what we'll face when coming back..."

"Han, we agreed not to worry about this," Spencer stated cautiously in hopes of dropping the unwanted subject.

"Then when do we worry about it? When we're back in Rosewood; there could be nothing we can do by that point!" Hanna spat back in disgust.

Spencer stood up quickly. "We _have_ to wait 'til Rosewood! Without A contacting us continuously, there's no way we can know what to expect; therefore, we can't do anything to prevent it if we don't know what the bitch has up her sleeve!" she yelled angrily.

Before Hanna could retort, Emily interjected, "Guys, fighting about it isn't going to make things better! A knows how we function, and she would love nothing more than to rip us apart again. Sure, the last time was because of our parents, but if it were actually us... A would have too much control; more control than she already has, and that's the most frightening thought in my opinion!"

Spencer and Hanna were baffled by Emily's points, clearly gaping at the words of wisdom that had fallen from their best friend's mouth. Spencer sighed in frustration, "Em's right; the last thing we need is more to worry about. We have to stick together, no exceptions."

Hanna opened her mouth to reply, but closed it quickly and perked her ears up tentatively. "Do you hear that?"

Emily and Spencer shared a quizzical glance with one another before looking to Hanna. Emily asked, "Hear what, Han?"

Hanna didn't even answer, but waited until she leaped her way over to the suite door and pressed the side of her head to it. "Laughter – Aria's laughter."

"What?" Spencer questioned as she mirrored Hanna's position against the door. She then came to realization when she heard a different door slam from the hallway. "They're inside their room now!"

"Em, grab a room key and let's go!" Hanna demanded as she released the deadbolt lock and sneakily slithered out with Spencer on her heels.

Emily snatched a key from the nightstand and hastily exited to meet up with her friends. "Should we really be invading their privacy like this? I feel like I'm Ian Thomas or something," she whispered worriedly.

Spencer stopped in her tracks to turn and glare at Emily with squinted eyes. With her attempt to be quiet, she didn't say anything about Emily's feelings. The two watched as Hanna braced herself on Ezra and Aria's door in order to listen for the couple's words or actions. Much to their dismay, Hanna pulled back and shook her head. "I can't hear a thing..."

"Damn," Spencer mumbled in disappointment.

Emily took a rational approach. "Maybe they're _trying_ to be quiet. I mean, wouldn't you if your best friends-slash-former students were one room over?"

Spencer cocked her head in agreement. "That would make sense... Let's just go and order a movie or something."

As the three girls retreated back to their own room, Hanna reminded, "We could just go to sleep; we have to be in the lobby by six, which means I have to be up at four."

Emily laughed while inserting the room key into its slot. "Han, why do you need to be all primped and pretty when we're just going to be in the car all day?"

As they entered the suite once again, Hanna answered, "Because it's just my daily ritual that I require myself to–" She stopped mid-sentence and beamed. "Oh my God, listen!"

Spencer and Emily froze in their positions inside the room to hear what Hanna had. They then were successful when moans and creaks of bed movement found their way through the walls. "The walls are thinner between the rooms; that's why we must be able to hear them through here!" Hanna exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Emily cringed as Spencer shook her head at Hanna's strange excitement. "Hanna, why are you so turned on by this?"

"Because–" Hanna was interrupted by a lust-filled _Ezra_ escaping Aria's lips, causing the blonde to giggle uncontrollably while slightly jumping up and down. "–I can do so much damage knowing that they've done the dirty! Oh, tomorrow's going to be great! But first..."

"Hanna, what are you thinking?" Emily pondered hesitantly, knowing there wasn't really a reason to ask because Hanna was going to do it anyway.

By this time, the moans and heavy breaths had become clear and obvious to comprehend to anyone. Hanna smoothly climbed on top of the bed while saying, "Those two are really going at it." With all her might, she banged her fist against the plastered wall that separated them from the couple. "HEY, DO YOU MIND? THERE ARE TEENAGERS WHO WANT TO MAINTAIN ABSTINANCE IN HERE!"

Spencer nearly died of laughter. "Han! What are you talking about; you're not a virgin anymore!"

"So?" Hanna giggled along with her, then heard no movement or sounds from the other room. Emily, Spencer, and Hanna patiently waited for some sort of response from either occupant of the next room over.

Suddenly, "_Fuck off, Hanna!_" erupted from Aria's shrill frame.

_"Aria!"_ Ezra scolded right afterwards, which made the girls lose all sanity and burst into hysterical chuckling.

Hanna couldn't help herself any longer. "Oh, I'm not the one who's fucking off tonight, sweetie!" she yelled back at the wall, causing Spencer and Emily to hold their weight up with the bed since they were sinking to the floor in laughter.

"_Hanna Marin, I am going to kick your ass the moment I see you in the morning!"_ Aria threatened with her voice much louder than the last, meaning she had stood up to shout directly at the wall – much like Hanna.

"So, you can't come over now? Oh, I get why you're going to make me wait 'til morning… HAVE FUN MR. FITZ!" Hanna smirked deviously before hopping off the bed to join Spencer and Emily in their giggle fest.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that just happened…" Aria complained in a haze as she sat back down on the bed and covered herself with the bedspread. "Our first time and –"<p>

She was interrupted by Ezra's lips gently placed on hers in a soft kiss. "Don't worry about it, babe; it was still worth it."

Aria grinned at her boyfriend's reassuring words, but it immediately fell when she realized, "We're never going to hear the end of this, you know."

"True, but I think I know a way to make them stop…for a while, at least," Ezra replied lowly in her ear before nibbling her lobe.

A ragged breath escaped from her mouth as she asked, "What's that?"

Ezra leaned forward to share his idea into her ear quietly, which caused her to smile seductively in return. "You think we could manage that?" Ezra rubbed her hip bone gently.

"Piece of cake," Aria responded as she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and forced their foreheads together. "Now, where were we, Mr. Fitz?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Done! Wow, I can't believe I actually updated…haha! Again, I'm sorry, but school has to come first whether I like it or not… ):**

**Please review! I wanna try to get at least 20 on this chapter, which should be no big deal because you all rock my socks off! Let me know what you think Ezra's plan is; the girls are really in for it! XD**

**Thanks so much for being my awesome readers and reviewers!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **_**"She's heeeerrrrreeeee..."**_** Poltergeist pun, anyone? Anyone? *ahem* Well, I'm back for a Saturday night filled with writing and fun(: **

**P.S. Please go read and review my other story _Please Don't Leave Quite Yet_...thanks! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I'm gonna stop doing these 'cause we all get the point.**

* * *

><p><em>Beep! Beep! Beep! <em>

The alarm clock chirped loudly throughout the cozy hotel suite, causing a deep groan to escape Aria's lips. She lifted her head lazily to take in her surroundings; however, the room was pitch black, as the curtains were closed and no lights around her were turned on. Aria suddenly realized the alarm hadn't stopped on its own, so in attempt to press the snooze button, she practically punched the small electronic box off the nightstand beside her. The noise ceased despite her careless effort, and Aria rubbed her eyes sleepily before looking over her left shoulder to spy on Ezra.

She couldn't see him though because of the lack of lighting, so she decided to get up and begin to prepare for another day on the road. When Aria proceeded to roll out of the bed, Ezra's arm tightened its grip around her bare torso and pulled her closer to his chest. "No," he mumbled into the messy heap known as her hair.

Aria giggled cutely and placed a delicate hand on his toned chest. "No? Oh, but a certain _adult_ accompanying my friends and me on this trip told us to be down in the lobby at six in the morning. I really must be getting up!"

He opened his mouth to speak, "But it's–" Ezra leaned up slightly to peer over his girlfriend's shoulder, but much to his dismay, the digital clock was hanging off the bedside table by its cord. "–early. And why are you so giddy?"

"Let's just say that the aftermath of last night has definitely taken its toll on me," Aria purred directly into Ezra's ear. "But seriously, we need to get going, Ez."

After prying Ezra's dead-weighted arm off of her body, Aria rolled to her right to hit the lamp's switch – which easily brought light to the once darkened suite. She ran a hand through her massive dark curls and slipped Ezra's shirt from the night before over her slim figure. All the while, Ezra had covered his head with one of the six pillows on their bed in order to shield his face from the sudden burst of light.

Aria sighed and crawled over to his side of the king sized bed smoothly. He had become completely still while lying on his back, with the pillow lightly placed on his face and his right arm thrown across it for security. She then swung her right leg over Ezra's abdomen to straddle his hips, which were – as well as the remaining lower half of his body – covered by the floral bedspread. "Ezra..." Aria cooed seductively as she raked her nails up and down his chest. "Baby, time to get up..."

Ezra mumbled incoherent words beneath the pillow in response, but rested his left hand firmly on her thigh and bunched up a decent amount of his shirt in his grip.

Aria rolled her eyes, but kept her voice in a silky tone. "Honey, I can't understand you with that pillow on your head…"

He refused to move and once again muffled his words straight into the pillow, leading Aria to huff in annoyance. "Fine!" She then ripped the pillow out of his arm's protection and flung it across the room. "Get your own ass up."

Aria then climbed off her boyfriend and stomped towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Ezra, however, was snickering childishly at his girlfriend's tantrum. As he eventually decided to get out of bed as well, he somehow couldn't wipe the obnoxious grin off of his face, because he knew that his and Aria's plan was going to get them a lot of new found respect from her best friends.

* * *

><p>Spencer checked her watch for what seemed like the tenth time in thirty seconds. She released a sigh at the reality she, Hanna, and Emily we're facing: that Aria and Ezra were passed the time in which they agreed on meeting. Well, the girls didn't agree to it; Ezra sort of enforced it, and now he was the one who was tardy.<p>

Tardy was an understatement to say at the least, considering that Spencer made sure that their room's occupants were fully packed, located in the lobby, and completely checked out by six in the morning. The task was surprisingly simple to achieve success, because Hanna woke up at four in the morning to complete her 'morning ritual' without having to rush out the door, and Emily simply plopped out of bed to throw on a Rosewood Sharks swimming team shirt, a pair of jeans, and her hair into a sloppy bun.

Spencer presented herself in skinny jeans with a floral sweater and a crimson hat for the day's events, though she wasn't exactly sure what the future would hold. She twisted her watch once more to read the hands ticking their way around the numbers.

"It's 6:28, where the hell are they?" Spencer nearly shouted, but deemed it unnecessary when the older woman at the check-out counter glared at her for daring to raise her voice.

From her seat on the leather couch and Emily's sleeping head on her lap, Hanna primped her lip gloss. "Relax, Spence, we're not going to an appointment or interview."

Just before Spencer could retort with a witty statement, Aria and Ezra exited hand-in-hand and all smiles from the elevator. As the couple approached the other teenage girls, Ezra leaned down to Aria's level and whispered into her ear. She immediately blushed and looked away to avoid eye contact with any person in the lobby.

Just as they reached the sitting area, Spencer charged for Ezra and stuck her pointer finger into his chest. "_You _are late, Mr. Six in the Morning Fitz. We've been waiting for half an hour!"

Ezra carefully detached Spencer's finger from his body and chuckled. "Sorry, I tend to over sleep."

Spencer threw her hands into the air. "You couldn't have at least called?" she spit-fired angrily.

"I could've gotten extra sleep, ya know," Emily mumbled and awkwardly shifted to a different position on the couch.

Aria smirked. "Em, I bet you've been sleeping right there; that's your extra sleep. _Plus_, there's always the car."

Her comment was ignored as the girls and Ezra became suddenly silent. Ezra soon broke the tension by untwining his fingers from Aria's and announcing, "I'm gonna go check out, be right back."

As he sauntered away, he teasingly pinched Aria's backside, making her flinch and shriek playfully at his contact. When Ezra was a good twenty feet from the girls, Hanna scoffed, "God, you're glowing. He must be pretty good in bed, am I right?"

The mischievous smile plastered on the blonde's face didn't go unnoticed by Aria. She then quickly reminded herself, _Remember what Ezra said; just go along with it._

The shortest of the girls shrugged innocently. "I'm just happy!"

"No, you're horny," Spencer commented disgustedly.

Aria's jaw practically hit the floor when Spencer finished speaking, and Spencer cocked her head to the side while giving a vengeful expression.

Ezra returned to find Hanna and Emily fiercely giggling at a Spencer and Aria stare down. He noticed Aria's eyes widened to an extreme level, and her neck and cheeks completely flushed a deep shade of crimson. Spencer's hat and Aria's face could easily be the same exact shading at the moment.

He cleared his throat awkwardly; obvious to knowing that he missed an embarrassing exchange between his girlfriend and former student, he decided to change the subject matter. "We ready to hit the road?"

No one seemed to move for the slightest of a second, until Aria swiftly picked up her bag and rolled out of the hotel without so much as a "Yeah," for an answer.

Ezra watched her leave hastily with concern in his eyes, so he rotated his body to question the one of the girls. However, they were halfway out the lobby as well, with their over-sized purses hanging from their arms and packed luggage rolling in tow.

Spencer paused at the automatic sliding door and twisted her waist to make eye contact with Ezra. She winked playfully, and Ezra immediately caught on to her hint. He exhaled deeply while running a hand through his tangled curls that Aria had so harshly tugged on the previous night.

For his plan to work, Aria was going to have to not take things so personal.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, it's a HUGE filler chapter. Plus, I wanted to direct the spotlight on Spencer instead of Hanna for once, because we all know that she has her fair share of sarcastic comments!**

**The "I'm just happy!" "No, you're horny," bit is from tumblr, so if you aren't familiar with that site, then it won't have as much significance to you…but it's still funny, nonetheless!**

**Hopefully this chapter gives you some sort of an idea what Ezra's plan is. Please review your thoughts or ideas; I read them all, and you just might find your suggestion tied into the story(:**

**Twenty reviews is my goal again!**

**Thanks so much!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: It's about time I start writing again, don't ya think? :) And FF has had some serious problems these past few days, so this chapter has been ready...super frustrating. **

* * *

><p>The sunrise was always something Aria enjoyed viewing, no matter where she was. She never exactly considered herself a morning person, but if someone mentioned waking up to watch the sun come up, then there'd be no doubt in her bouncing out of bed eagerly. The different mess of colors combining in the sky above her gave her a sense of peace and calming, because the beauty and simplicity of the whole process was there for her to soak in.<p>

Riding in the passenger seat of Ezra's car while it traveled seventy miles down an open freeway opened Aria's imagination wide as she stared upward through the windshield. Pink and purple outlined one another across the sky as orange and yellow placed themselves in speckled spots around the pink and purple. Gray clouds roamed randomly through the atmosphere, occasionally hiding the colors away momentarily.

Aria watched the quiet sky with widened eyes and an open mind within the silent car, unable to tear her gaze to look at anything else in her surroundings. Hanna had fallen asleep once more, despite her recent 'morning ritual' of curled hair and make-up application, and Emily continued getting her extra sleep as it carried on from the hotel lobby.

However, Spencer was awake in the backseat, and ready to start the day. She seemed to be confident in herself as a result of her comments to Aria back at the hotel while Ezra was checking out; her eyes were glossy and lips pulled up in a tight yet nonchalant smile. Spencer skimmed through her favorite book silently, trying not to disrupt her friends sleeping next to her, and didn't attempt to make conversation with Aria or Ezra in front of her.

Ezra concentrated on the road ahead of him, every so often running a rough hand over his face. The previous night's events had obviously caused sleep deprivation, which he hadn't really thought of its affects until getting behind the wheel. Sure, he and his girlfriend had slept for a few hours, but not near enough to count as a good night's sleep.

The car's tension increased suddenly when Aria boldly began rubbing Ezra's shoulders with her left hand. Ezra closed his eyes in pleasure and allowed a small moan to escape his lips. Much to his dismay, he remembered that he was driving and that he shouldn't exactly kill four teenage girls, so he reluctantly opened his eyes once more.

Through his peripheral, Ezra noticed Aria tenderly smiling at him. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by Spencer saying, "God, get a room."

"We already did, remember?" Aria spat back hastily, yet her smile still played at her lips. "And it was wonderful. Right, Ez?"

When Aria continued to amuse herself with the baby hairs on the nape of Ezra's neck, he realized what she was doing. _She's getting into the plan!_ he thought excitedly.

"Yeah," Ezra agreed before clearing his throat. He was going to have to play along a little better in order to be convincing. "Especially when –"

"WHOA. Don't need details!" Spencer interrupted abruptly, causing Hanna to shift her head onto Spencer's shoulder in her sleep. Spencer muttered, "Great…"

Aria winked at Ezra suggestively, and it was then that he knew she had gained some confidence. That was one thing Ezra loved about Aria Montgomery; that she would never let anyone upset her without getting them back one way or the other.

The next half hour of driving had Ezra in a daze. By that point, his eyes were beginning to droop every other second and he did have to swerve harshly back onto the road at least once.

Noticing his exhaustion, Spencer rolled her eyes. "Would you like me to drive for a while?"

"N-no, I'll be fine, Spencer. We have about an hour and forty-five minutes left; I can make it…" Ezra slurred sleepily, tightening his grip on the steering wheel and widening his eyes as far as they would go.

"I'm serious. You and Aria can move back here and sleep, and we'll go up front," Spencer replied, gesturing her hand toward a now-awake Emily next to her.

Ezra looked to Aria beside him, only to discover that she had crashed into a deep sleep. He glanced at Spencer in his rear view mirror. "You sure?"

"Positive!" was her answer.

Ezra then turned on his hazard lights and pulled over into the shoulder to make the switch. After Ezra put the silver car in park, he, Emily, and Spencer exited and slowly made their way to their new respected seats. As Emily opened the passenger side door, Ezra proceeded to slightly wake Aria enough for her to situate herself in the back-middle seat. All the while, Hanna snored from her position behind the driver's seat.

As soon as everyone was comfortable, Spencer checked her mirrors and began to zoom down the highway in the direction that Ezra had instructed her. The car's occupants remained silent, as Aria had fallen asleep with her head on Ezra's shoulder and his head on the top of hers.

All had been calm for the first forty-five minutes into Spencer's driving. Hanna had eventually woken up, but stayed quiet and browsed through _Tumblr _and _Pinterest _on her cell phone with her headphones in her ears. Aria and Ezra continued to soak up their beauty rest with their fingers intertwined.

Spencer, always the over achiever, decided to get ahead of schedule by driving a little faster than the speed limit. She silently praised herself when she calculated the new arrival time within her head. However, her self-praise came to a halt when flashing red and blue lights were seen from the rear view mirror.

"Shit," Spencer swore beneath her breath.

Emily turned her head to peer out the back window and said, "Spence, pull over!"

Spencer obeyed and pressed her foot against the brake pedal. As she steered for the shoulder, she wailed, "Mr. Fitz, wake up!"

Realizing the car was slowing down, Hanna asked, "What's going on?" She paused her music and began to look around, then noticing the situation. "Ohhh, sucks, Spence."

"Ezra!" Spencer yelled. "Ezra! There is a cop!"

Ezra woke with a jolt, causing Aria to lift her head and blink her eyes several times in confusion. He ran a lazy hand over his face again and groaned, "Just stay calm, Spencer."

Spencer breathed in with her nose and out through her mouth in nervousness. As the police officer approached the car, she rolled down the window.

"License and registration, ma'am," the officer recited sternly.

"Right." Spencer pulled out her wallet from her purse to retrieve her driver's license as Emily dug around the dashboard for Ezra's insurance.

Both were handed to the officer silently, so he began to compare both documents. Confused, he asked, "Which one of you is Ezra Fitz?"

Ezra raised his hand from the back seat. "I am, officer."

"Mr. Fitz, why is the young lady driving your vehicle when her name is not under your insurance?" the cop questioned curiously.

"We're on a roadtrip, sir. I was very tired and couldn't see very well, so Miss Hastings took the wheel so I wouldn't fall asleep while driving," Ezra answered honestly.

The officer nodded, but turned back to Spencer. "Miss Hastings, are you aware that the speed limit here is sixty miles per hour?"

An expression of pure worry was plastered on Spencer's face. "Yes, officer."

"And are you aware that you were driving well over eighty miles per hour?"

Ashamed, Spencer repeated, "Yes, officer."

The cop inspected the license one more time. "Hmm, Pennsylvania, I have family there… I will be right back." He then walked back toward his patrol car.

Once the officer was out of hearing range, Aria screeched, "Eighty miles per hour, Spence?"

"I was trying to get us there early!" Spencer defended.

Hanna rolled her eyes and huffed. "Well, now we'll be even later, which means more time in this damn car."

Emily was about to speak, but the officer returned. However, instead of stopping at Spencer's window, he tapped on Hanna's. Understanding what the officer wanted, Hanna pressed the button on her door and the window rolled down smoothly.

The cop licked his lips, "Mr. Fitz, how old are you?"

Ezra squinted his eyes in response to the strange question. "Twenty-four, why?"

The officer ignored Ezra and asked, "And you, Miss Hastings?"

"Sixteen…" Spencer said hesitantly.

"Mr. Fitz, what is your relationship with these teenage girls?" The cop then rubbed his stubble on his chin, making a rough, scratching sound.

Ezra glanced at each of the four girls before answering, "I was their teacher."

Before the police officer could ask why he was on the road with his students, his eye caught the young man and teenage girl's intertwined fingers. His eyes widened and as his hand reached for his gun, he commanded:

"Mr. Ezra Fitz, please exit the vehicle…away from the teenage girls."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uh oh! Ezra's in big trouble! Not exactly the right situation to be in when you're a teacher, huh? Haha! **

**Well, I missed this story! And school was so hectic that I never had time to update! But I'm done now, and graduate from high school this coming Saturday…**

**Please review! I missed y'all, and I don't want my absence to be the reason that no one reviews! Updates should also come a lot more frequently now that I'm on summer break! :D**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**

**P.S. This is another filler chapter. Drama in the next one, with comedy! They reach their destination, but only for a little "mess" to take place… Review to find out more!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, hey, guys… Did you miss me? Ha, um, so I have an update for y'all. Sorry, that it's been a year… I really feel bad when people still review and ask me to update, but I'm going to **_**try**_** to keep up with this more often, but no promises. **

**On another note, I know with my absence came much progression with the show (which I still watch religiously!). But despite the show's timeline, I'm going to write this story more for fun than parallelism, especially since I'm super far behind.**

**Oh, and this chapter is for Katie(:**

* * *

><p>Ezra's eyes opened wide with confusion, but he still untangled his fingers from Aria's and stepped outside the car. The officer then proceeded to pat him down, causing Ezra to become extremely uncomfortable.<p>

Inside the car, Hanna peered out the window in thought, muttering, "I think I know him..." She cocked her to the side and squinted her eyes in consideration.

"Hanna," Aria snapped, trying to keep her voice down. "What are you talking about? This is serious."

Hanna whipped her head around to answer her brunette friend. "No, he looks so familiar." She glanced at him again momentarily. "I swear."

Spencer, Emily, and Aria all took the opportunity to watch the officer interrogate Ezra on the side of the highway. Their former teacher looked surprisingly calm, despite the situation. His hands rested in his pockets as he answered the cop's questions. The officer took notes on a small pad quickly, glancing at Ezra every few seconds.

"Oh my God," Hanna exclaimed suddenly, a smile growing across her face.

"What?" Emily asked curiously, trying to follow her friend's excitement.

Hanna ignored her and unbuckled her seatbelt before leaning out the window. "Uncle Darren!" she called happily.

The officer raised his head from his notepad and peeled the sunglasses from his face. "Excuse me? What did you just call me?"

The blonde took the chance to exit the small car and walk toward the two men. "Uncle Darren, it's me, Hanna Marin!"

Officer Darren focused on the teenager's face, trying desperately to remember who she was claiming to be. Out of nowhere, he beamed, "Ashley's daughter?!"

"Yes, yes!" Hanna cried enthusiastically.

The two hugged quickly, causing the girls in the car to exchange looks of hope. Ezra remained in his position, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

Darren placed his hands on her shoulders. "Wow Hanna, I haven't seen you since you were..." He trailed off, not wanting to insult the girl.

"Fat? Yeah, I know," Hanna finished for him, much to his relief. "Uncle Darren, I want you to meet Mr. Fitz, my former English teacher. And in the car are my three best friends: Spencer, Emily, and Aria." As their names are mentioned, the girls and Ezra waved politely to man of law.

She continued, "Uncle Darren is my mom's dad's brother; so he's my great uncle!"

"The greatest of the great!" the older man joked. "So, Hanna, can you tell me why you're on a road trip with your _former_ teacher?"

Hanna swallowed thickly, but smiled through her lie. "He's a good friend of Aria's parents and has known her for years. We wanted to go on a trip together, but none of our parents could go with us, so he offered to be our chaperone!"

The cop scratched his stubble slowly, contemplating his niece's explanation. "And the hand holding?"

Hanna shrugged. "Aria gets car-sick real easily; Mr. Fitz was just trying to give her support and make her feel better."

Officer Darren turned toward Ezra and asked, "Is this true?"

Ezra opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He made eye contact with Hanna, who was waiting on him to agree. He smiled toward the older man and said, "Yes, Aria just has such weak stomach sometimes. I know that because I've known her _for so long_." He stressed the last part in order to support Hanna's story.

Hanna fluttered her lashes innocently at her uncle. "See? No harm done! But Uncle Darren, it was so nice seeing you!" She and Ezra nonchalantly started stepping toward the car. "I'll tell my mom to call so you two can catch up!"

Ezra quickly opened the back door and crawled inside, making Aria scoot over a seat. Hanna settled in her original seat behind the driver's chair, instructing Spencer, "Drive!"

Spencer threw the gear in drive and squealed onto the highway, leaving the officer dumfounded and staring at his notes.

* * *

><p>Another fifteen minutes passed before anyone had something to say other than driving directions. Spencer informed the group that they were almost to their destination, and they all released a sigh of relief. Each person had grown quite sick of being in the car for several days.<p>

But no one seemed as sick as Emily.

She had turned an odd shade of green just after escaping the officer, and kept rolling down the window to get fresh air every two minutes. As Spencer entered into a series of road construction, Emily leaned her head against her seat and moaned, "Spence, pull over."

"Em, I can't; there's no shoulder because of all the road work," she replied nervously.

Emily closed her eyes. "But I think I'm going to be sick."

"Do you need to hold Mr. Fitz's hand?" Hanna questioned, poking Ezra's bicep, which actually emitted a smile from him.

"No, really, Hanna, I -" But before she could finish her sentence, Emily was emptying her stomach's contents all over the floorboard of the passenger seat.

Spencer kept her eyes on the road, despite the situation next to her, but Hanna and Aria were already in the process of rolling down their windows to get rid of the smell.

Ezra sighed in annoyance; this trip was just the cherry on top of his entire life so far. "Spencer, go ahead and take the next exit and find the nearest gas station."

Emily rummaged through the dashboard to find the napkins she spotted when retrieving Ezra's insurance earlier. "I'm sorry, guys," she mumbled as she wiped her mouth free of vomit.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Aria responded, sticking her head out the window a little further.

A few minutes later, Spencer parked Ezra's car in a lot and all the passengers filed out one-by-one. Spencer and Hanna guided Emily into the small convenient store to get her cleaned up, and Aria and Ezra followed to buy some cleaning supplies.

As Emily snacked on saltine crackers and ginger ale, Ezra scrubbed the carpet of his car, pinching his nose every once in a while to compose himself. Aria watched him work and handed him paper towels when needed. "Ezra, I'm sorry all of this is happening."

He stopped his cleaning for a split second, but decided to ignore her apology and continue. Ezra wiped his forehead with his arm when he felt a sweat break out. "Aria," he began. "Don't start."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Don't start taking the blame for all these catastrophes. It is what it is, and though this isn't exactly what I planned for the trip, it's happening. So just forget it." He stood to his feet and gathered all the used paper towels carefully, then bumped Aria's shoulder harshly as he walked to dispose of them.

Aria glared at her boyfriend as he stalked away. She wasn't too fond of his immature attitude.

After all, he was the adult here.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry that it's short, but it is an update! I hope y'all were just so overjoyed with my return that you leave a review! I'd appreciate it(:**

**Like I said, I'll try to update soon, but who knows what will come up this time. Again, I am so sorry for the long wait.**

**But, please review!**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


End file.
